Newborn foal thrown over fence and left to die saved by Blue Barn Equestrian Centre in Ashford

A newborn foal thrown over a fence and left to die on the hottest day of the year has been saved by an equine centre.

Blue Barn Equestrian Centre in Great Chart, near Ashford, arranged for the rescue of the skeletal filly who was so dehydrated that she stopped breathing as vets at the Bell Equine clinic in Mereworth, near Maidstone, battled to save her life.

Kate Morris, owner of the equestrian centre, said Honey had been born on Saturday morning and had been thrown over a fence with no access to water, as temperatures rocketed to 34C in the south-east.

Honey was on the brink of death when she was found (13249676)

The filly had stumbled upon a livery yard where she attempted to "seek comfort and solace" with horses at Chelsfield near Bromley, where she had been cruelly discarded.

Kate runs the Little Sweeps Fund set up to save abandoned horses in dire medical need, who can be rehomed.

It was named after a pony called Sweep, who was found near the Three Chimneys pub in Biddenden in November, but who sadly couldn't be saved.

Members of the public heard about Honey's plight on social media and overnight began pledging the crucial funds needed to save the Welsh pony's life.

Honey gets the hang of feeding (13249660)

A fundraising target of £5,000 was set and has today reached £6,500, with the story of Honey's plight being shared 1,900 times on Facebook.

Kate said: "So many members of the public have donated and we are hugely grateful as it meant we could pay the vets to carry on working to save Honey."

Honey was dehydrated to such an extent that her blood was filled with toxins. Her kidneys failed and she stopped breathing.

Honey and her new mum get to know one another (13249670)

Kate continued: "The vet phoned me around midnight and said 'there's no harm in letting this little one go'."

But Kate begged for more time and miraculously Honey's condition improved and a heartwarming chain of events was set into motion.

Kate was notified that a mare in Hampshire had just lost a foal and she was offered as a surrogate for Honey. Within hours the mare was being transported to the vets at Mereworth.

She said: "A mare in Hampshire lost her baby and she was driven over to Kent on Sunday. The mare took to Honey immediately and although Honey didn't know how to feed at first, she's a smart little cookie and soon latched onto the teat.

"It's the happiest story you could imagine two poor little horses in need became mother and daughter overnight."

Any excess funds raised for Honey will be put towards rescuing other stricken ponies in the future and to make a donation to the Little Sweeps Fund click here